Sheriff’s Kadu, centre, in action against Tromso in an earlier Group K fixture (Picture: Reuters)

Andre Villas-Boas’ Group K leaders Tottenham head to Moldova tonight to face Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League. But where is Tiraspol, and who are FC Sheriff? Only Metro has the answer.

Sheriff are the top team in Moldova

Veaceslav Rusnac’s men head their domestic table with just one defeat from 12 matches so far this season and are already four points clear of second-placed Veris FC Singerei.

Tiraspol is in the breakaway state of Transnistria

Moldova’s second-largest city has a population in the region of 200,000. Most fans will come from the country’s capital, Chisinau, tonight. Transnistria is located on a strip of land between the River Dniester and the eastern Moldovan border with Ukraine.

Fair play to the boys from Tiraspol, they are currently unbeaten in Group K of the Europa League, having drawn 0-0 against Anzhi Makhachkala and 1-1 against Tromso in Norway.

They have won 12 Divizia Nationala titles

Since the Moldovan Premier League was founded in 2001, Sheriff have won 12 of the 13 championships on offer. Dacia Chisinau are the only team to have denied them in that period. They have also twice reached the group stages of the Europa League.

In fact, the club was founded in 1997 by former policeman Viktor Gushan, who worked for the sheriff in Moldova. The club first entered the Moldovan second division and then earned promotion to the Divizia Nationala. They still have a proper sheriff’s badge as their crest.

Moldova play their home matches at the Sheriff

Often the Zimbru Stadium in the capital Chisinau is used for international fixtures – as with England’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying win there in September 2012 – but the Sheriff in Tiraspol is their alternative venue, holding 14,300 supporters.

Some great-named Brazilians are in Rusnac’s squad: Kadu, Jhulliam, William Thuram, Ricardinho, Henrique Luvannor and just plain old Fernando. Tiraspol also have a Spaniard, an Israeli and an Ivorian among their ranks.